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A. W. PEARSALL.

PNEUMATIC DESPATCH TUBE CARRIER. APPucATloN vmit 050.25. 1913.l

1,195,716. Patentedmlg. 22,1916.

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ALBERT W. PEAESALL, or LOWELL, MASsAcHusETTs, assrcnon To THE LAMsoN COMPANY, or BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, .a 4conrona'rroiv or NEW JERSEY.

PNEUMATIC-DESPATCH-TUBE CARRIER.

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Application filed December 26, 1913.

T0 all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT W. PEARSALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lowell, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic-Despatch-Tube Carriers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to pneumatic despatch tube carriers and more especially to indicators for such carriers.

In pneumatic despatch systems it is frequently desirable to mark upon a carrier either some indication of its usage or in other words of the class of materials to be carried .therein, or its home station, or destination, or the like. Very frequently the indicator on the carrier is not subject' to frequent change but must, however, be changed occasionally. Where some form of movable indicator is provided adapted, for example, by means of a pointer to indicate one of a series of numerals or letters or the like, such movable device sometimes becomes displaced either while in transit or during other usage ofthe carrier, and this leads to confusion in the service. Hence resort has been had to impressing or otherwise marking upon .the body of the carrier certain indicating symbols. This expedient Obviously does not permit of the ready change of symbols when the carrier is subsequently used for the despatch of different materials or is assigned to a different station, or the like; and I have sought to provide means which would permit of an indicating device being aflixed to a carrier so that while it is normally inseparable therefrom and hence not subject to inadvertent alteration or dislodgment from the carrier, it may nevertheless be changed cuite readily when occasion is found It is further extremely desirable to position the indicating symbols, or the like, directly upon the Yendsof the carrier so that there may be no necessity for rotating the carrier in the hand in order to read or perceive the indicating symbols or device; since whenthe latter is upon the end of the head of the carrier'it merely suffices to upend the latter which may be done with a single movement of the wrist, in order to expose the Vindicator to the view of the operator. I have therefore, aimed to meet this requirement also, in my novel construction.

These and other objects of my invention Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Ang. 22, 1916.

Serial No. $08,741.

`will b e hereinafter referred to and the novel combinations of elements whereby the same may be attained will be hereinafter more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing which forms a part hereof and in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the severalfviews, I have eX- emplied a preferred construction which embodies my said invention, but as I am aware that various changes and modifications may be made herein without departing from the spirit of the invention, I desire to Abe limited only by the. scope of said claims.

Referring to the drawing: Figure l is a perspective view of a carrier, showing my novel indicato-r in place thereon. Fig. 2 is o a vertical section taken on line II-II of Fig. l and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the preferred indicator previous to its attachment to the head of the carrier.

The carrier itself may be ofany suitable description but preferably comprises the usual telescoped shells 1 and 2. These latter are respectively provided with openings 3 and 4 which may be registered with each other to gain access to the interior of the carrier. In the present instance the shell. 1 is cup shaped and is provided with an inwardly directed flange l while the inner shell 2 is substantially tubular and provided with inwardly directed flanges 2 at the respective extremities thereof.

As shown in Fig. 2, a spacing disk 4 substantially `fills the space within the annular ange 2 at the bottom of the shell 2; this disk being seated against the bottom of the shell l, which in turn bears against a disk 5 which forms the base plate of the lower felt headf. Above the spacing disk 4; is a retaining member or disk 7 which is held down firmly against the spacing disk by means of a small bar 8.

The outer face of the head 6 is recessed, as at 9, for Vthe reception of a small circular plate or clamping disk 10 and bolts l1 eX- tend upwardly, or downwardly, as the case may be, from plate 10 through the head 6,

disks 5, 4 and 7 and the bar 8, to provide i means for clamping these several parts together; said bolts preferably having their heads countersunk into the plate l0 and being threaded at their inner extremities for engagement with small nuts 11. The upper extremity of the carrier is very similar in construction to the lower end; the only material Vdifference being that the bar 8 is seated within a depression in the cupped memberl 12 which constitutes the means for retaining the upper flange 2 in position within the upper end of the shell 1; said member 12 bearing directly against the base plate 5 of the upper head. The bolts 11 for the upper head extend through suitable apertures in the plates 10 and 5, cup 12 and bar 8, to hold the several parts together.

The spacing disk 4 and the cupped member 12 permit of rotary movement of the shells with respect to each other; so that if the respective heads of the carrier be grasped and rotated ,in Opposite directions the carrier may be opened or closed, in a known manner. In this connection it will be noted that an inwardly directed prong or tooth 13 extends from the inner edge of the flange 1 of the shell 1 through a suitable slot in the cupped member 12 so that when the outer shell 1 is rotated the member 12 and the upper head secured thereto are forced to rotate with it.

The plates 10 in the respective heads are preferably set in a suiiicient distance from the outer face of each of said heads to permit of the insertion of an indicating disk 14 within each of the recesses 9; the outer face of each of the indicating disks being slightly below or within the outer face of the corresponding head so that when the carrier impinges against a stop at the end of its travel, no metallic click will be heard, should said stop be of metal. The gist of the present invention resides in the provision of such an indicating disk in the head of a carrier in combination with the novel means for retaining it in position. In a preferred form, given by way of exemplication, each disk 14 is provided with prongs 14 which are preferably sharply pointed but have the points thereof sloped so that when they are driven into the felt or other cushioning material 0f which the buifer head of the carrier may be composed, said prongs will be forced to curve around and to thereby grasp the material of said head with a claw-like action. Preferably but two of such deformable prongs or claws are provided, upon opposite sides of the indicating disk since two have been found in practice to be a sufricient number to firmly retain the disk in position while the edge of the disk therebetween may have the edge or point of a screwdriver or some like implement more readily inserted therebeneath whereby to pry out the indicator when it is desired to change the same. It will be noted too it is advantageous to dispose the printed matter or symbol'upon the plate definitely with respect to the deformable prongs since if, for example, the longitudinal axes of the letters or numbers be parallel to a line connecting the points of the prongs, an operative, desiring to remove the indicator will, after having once examined a plate of this character, know that the point of his removing tool should preferably be inserted substantially at right angles to said line and hence transversely of the lettering. I have also found it preferable to cause the points of the claws to approach rather than to recede from each other when said claws are being wedged into the head of the carrier, since the material gripped therebetween will be below or inside of the corresponding boltheld plate 10.

Assuming that it be desired to apply an indicating plate to a carrier it is merely necessary to insert the same prongs foremost into the recess in a head of said carrier, and to lightly tap the same with a hammer or other suitable. tool, whereupon the sharp stiff prongs will enter the cushioning material, but by reason of the shape or conformation thereof, initially provided, said prongs will be subjected to greater pressure from the cushioning material upon one side of each of said prongs than upon the opposite side of the same and will be deformed by being thus wedged into the material, so as to grasp said material in the interior thereof.

To remove the indicator the edge of a screw-driver, for example, may be inserted under. an edge of the indicating plate at a point intermediate its prongs and by using the material of the head, below the tool, as a fulcrum, the plate may be very readily pried out of its recess; the stiff prongs in a measure being straightened out by this action.

It may be well to note here that the clamping plate 10 around and back of which the claws are bent, in the manner above described, serves both to hold the indicating plate rigidly in a plane substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the shell, despite blows upon the periphery of the indicating plate which the latter may receive when in use; while further, this clamping plate holds the central portion or core of the cushioning material against outward displacement along with the indicating plate when the latter is removed, the` ates likelihood of its being displaced in any manner during transit of the carrier, or at other times; but which may be easily removed and replaced when a change of indication is desired. Furthermore, a carrier provided with indicating means of this nature is very sightly in appearance; no objectionable bolts or other fastening means being in evidence.

Having thus described my invention What I claim is:

l. A carrier comprising a shell, a buffer head of cushioning material, means including an outer clamping plate, for fastening said head and shell together, and a removable indicating plate adapted to be positioned to expose the symbol bearing surface thereof at the outer face of said buffer head, claw-like means turned in toward the axis of said shell from points adjacent the periphery of said clamping plate and pulling said indicating plate toward said clamping plate, for normally securely holding said indicating plate in position upon said buffer head, said indicating plate, however, adapted to be forcibly pried out of the said position While leaving said means for fastening said head and shell together substantially undisturbed.

2. A carrier comprising a shell, a buier head of cushioning material, means including an outer clamping plate, for fastening said head and shell together, and a removable indicating plate adapted to be positioned to eXpose the symbol bearing surface thereof at the outer face of said buffer head, said plate having parts to bite into and grasp said cushioning material around and back of said clamping plate for normally securely holding said indicating plate in position upon said buffer head, said biting parts adapted to be drawn out of engagement With said material by an outward pressure upon said plate, While leaving said lirst mentioned means substantially undisturbed, and said clamping plate holding the cushioning material, grasped by said biting parts, against outward movement from said shell and together with said parts when said indicating plate is being removed.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature, in the presence of tWo Witnesses.

ALBERT W. PEARSALL.

Witnesses:

I. PORTER PALMER, F. BAILEY WILLIAMS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for lve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

